Fangs and Feathers
by BlueForestAngelCat
Summary: 3rd summary. If the universe was different from the original, what would happen? Where Ahiru doesn't know Mytho is a prince, the pendant has a will of it's own, and Fakir appears to be a wolf? How is Drosselmyer, a simple spell caster, involved?
1. Chapter 1: Awaken

_Disclaimer_: If I owned Princess Tutu, a certain critic that could somehow be mistaken for Ahiru (Good grief! How could ANYONE make that mistake?!) would pop up and start verbally abusing Drosselmeyer and possibly writing him out of his own story. So, in more simplified terms, I DON'T own Princess Tutu.

_Additional Disclaimer_: My sister says Fakir's "situation" in this fan fiction was her idea first, so apparently that part doesn't belong to me. She'll be writing her own fan fiction with that concept the same time as me, so be sure to read it! ALSO; I may have ended up using a few details that are similar to those of other fan fictions here (Again, according to my sister.), so I'm sorry if I used any details that don't belong to me.

This is an AU fan fiction. There are no heart shards, instead there are unlucky spells floating around that need to be broken. Drosselmeyer doesn't write stories, but he does carve "curses" into an old oak tree that always come true. None of the people are animals...or at least not originally...there is the girl who becomes a duck, and the boy who becomes...well, I'll let you wait and see. Rated T just to be safe.

Mostly cannon parings (I might throw in a couple extras!), and as close to character as possible. They might act a little differently, but that would be because the storyline is different, thus tweaking their personalities somewhat. I apologize for anything anyone might find worth getting upset over. I'm really hoping people like this!

* * *

**Chapter 1: Awaken**

Magical things tend to happen on the night of the full moon. So what does the next morning bring? Will the spells from the night be broken? Or maybe...

_A white slippered foot gracefully glided over the still water. A head of silvery white hair, with a small golden crown on the center, bobbed slightly as the prince danced to gentle music. His golden eyes were half lidded while he was lost in the beautiful dance he performed atop the pond waters._

"_Qua-," a small yellow duck watched in awe._

'Wow, amazing,' _she thought, then her eyes softened,_ 'But why do you seem so...sad?'

_The handsome prince continued dancing, pure and perfect, but missing even the slightest of smiles. As she stepped onto the water, the duck was enveloped in a red light and became a princess worthy of dancing with him. Her short orange hair faded to white halfway down and had a strand that stood up atop her head; just as the duck had had. She wore a pink and white tutu with decorative blue ribbons falling below gauzy yellow butterfly wings, an intricate pendant with a tear shaped red stone set in a pair of silver wings, a pair of pink ballet shoes whose straps crossed up to her knees, and a set of gold bead bracelets around her wrists. Her eyes, just as blue as the duck's had been, looked up at the prince as she spoke softly._

"_Please allow me to bring back your smile, your highness."_

_She circled her delicate hands above her crowned head before bringing them down in a pose that asked the question, "Will you dance with me?"_

_The Prince paused his dancing to respond with a pose of his own, "Yes, Princess."_

_With a smile on her lips, she gracefully leaped and twirled her way over to him. He took her outstretched hand as she came to a stop before him..._

"...**ring, Ring, RING!"**

"Ahhh!" a girl in a nightgown shot up in her bed. She had long orange hair tied back in a braid and short unruly hair that stuck out around her face with one strand standing straight up, and currently had very wide blue eyes. A flock of birds waited patiently in front of her window, but as soon as it opened they all flew inside.

"Whaa!" the girl cried, suddenly covered in birds, "Wait! Wait everyone! Aww Jeez! Hold on just a second!"

After a short struggle, the girl set the food dish on the window sill and the birds flew after it. Lying on the floor, the feather covered girl sighed deeply before smiling. The red gem on her necklace gleamed in the light.

"Jeez, you guys need to be a little more patient," she mumbled as she stood and dusted off her uniform.

"Oh well, good morning!" she stepped up to the window, "Sparrow, is your wing doing better?(insert chirping)That's good-hey, don't eat so much Pigeon! You're such a glutton."

A yellow bird flew to her and she grinned, "Ah, good morning Canary Mama! Your babies should be flying soon right?(insert more chirping)Be sure to bring them over!"

The little bird almost seemed to nod before flying from her hand.

Trying to stifle a yawn, the girl leaned partway out her window, "I had such an amazing dream last night, but somehow I still feel tired. And my body feels kinda sore and stiff-"

A chime from the town clock tower interrupted her thoughts. A shocked look covered her face.

"Eh. It's that time already?" the panic suddenly set in and she turned to run, "Oh noooooo! I'm gonna be laaate! Why didn't any one wake me up?!"

She hastily grabbed her books before dashing out of her dorm room, "You're so cruel Pique and Lillie!"

As she vanished down the hall, two doors near her's opened to reveal a girl with blond hair and another with magenta hair. They were both in their night gowns.

"What's with all the noise?" the one with magenta hair mumbled, closing her violet eyes as she yawned.

"Ahiru got the time wrong again," the blond haired girl's green eyes gleamed, "So ADORABLE!"

As she ran, Ahiru took a route through some trees in order to get to the school faster. Her foot came into contact with something large, black, and furry, tripped over it, and somersaulted into a tree with the back of her legs up against it.

"Ow ow ow," she sat up slowly, rubbing her abused head.

When she looked up to see what tripped her, her eyes grew wide with surprise. Lying on it's side was a black wolf. It wasn't moving, and it had blood on it from numerous injuries.

"It's not-" she inched toward it and placed her hand gently on it's shoulder.

After a moment she sighed in relief and smiled, "You're just asleep. Thank goodness."

Then she sobered, "You seem to have been hurt really badly. I'll take you back to my dorm and take care of you wounds for you."

The chime of the clock tower came again and she turned to look at it.

"Eh?! School doesn't start for over an hour!"

Looking back to the wolf, she smiled softly, "Oh well, at least I found you. I'll go get some help, then I'll be right back."

She quickly ran back to her dorm, grabbed a sheet from a dresser, and then whistled out the window. The birds once again congregated outside her window and she smiled at them.

"I'm sorry to bother you guys, but I need your help."

Some time later she and the birds finished carrying the unconscious wolf up the into her room and gently set it on the floor. As Ahiru wiped sweat from her brow, she turned to put out more bird seed for her little friends and they immediately converged on it.

"Thank you so much everyone!"

She went to work cleaning and bandaging the wolf's wounds, somehow tangling herself up in some of the wrapping and then struggling to get out of them. Then she noticed a silver collar around it's neck. It'd been nearly completely concealed by fur, and when she took a closer look, she saw how the jagged edges cut at the poor wolf's neck. She gasped inwardly before taking it into her hands.

"Ouch!" Ahiru pulled her hands back to look at her now injured palms and fingers.

"There has to be a way to get it off!" she frowned and inspected the collar VERY thoroughly.

"Ah ha!" she found a clasp on the underside of the wolf's neck. More carefully this time, she took the collar off the wolf and set it on the floor. She ignored the fact that it was partially covered in blood, and turned back to finish binding the bandages in place.

"There all done!" she dusted off her bandaged hands and looked at the clock, "And I have just enough time to make it to class."

She took a blanket and carefully draped it over the treated wolf, a soft smile on her face as she walked out the door. She completely disregarded the mess of cloth and other various items on the floor, either not really having time to clean or not noticing it at all.

Ahiru made it to class in time and stretched at the bar while her friends gossiped beside her.

"-but no one's seen him today," the magenta haired girl frowned.

"Maybe he's sick?" the blond suggested.

The first one shrugged and turned to Ahiru, "So why were you running around so early in the morning?"

"I heard the clock tower and thought I was late," she grumbled in reply.

"Didn't you look at your clock?" a magenta eyebrow raised over violet eyes.

"I told you, I was in a hurry," Ahiru grumbled again.

"Your so weird," she shook her head.

"Shut up," Ahiru grumbled.

"Did you get into any mischief while you were running around aimlessly?" the blond chirped.

"What?" Ahiru asked.

"I know! You ran into someone, didn't you?!" she exclaimed.

"Lillie?!" Ahiru's eyes widened as the green eyed girl grasped her by the shoulders.

"Dark, mysterious and frightening!" Lillie shook her enthusiastically, "You met him didn't you?!"

"Oh no! Don't tell me your the reason he's missing!" Lillie smashed Ahiru's face, "He's injured isn't he! And in pain, oh so much pain!"

As Lillie let go, Ahiru crumpled to the floor.

"Oh the tragedy! How can you ever forgive yourself! I can just see the pain in your face!"

"That was your fault," the girl named Pique said bluntly.

"No way." Lillie glared in denial.

"But really Ahiru, you didn't run into Fakir this morning did you?" Pique whirled on Ahiru.

"Who?" Ahiru asked in confusion.

"Tall, rude, and handsome!" Pique and Lillie chorused in unison.

"Huh?" Ahiru asked again.

"I guess you didn't then," Pique said as they both shrugged, "Not too surprising considering you only started here a week ago."

As Ahiru sighed deeply and shook her head, the doors to the studio opened and the teacher stepped in. Clapping his hands, the tall man with violet brown hair and small yellow eyes called for everyones attention, "Alright everyone, take your places and we'll begin."

"And no slacking of. Or else-," perspiration gathered on his face as the Wedding March began to play and he finished the sentence in a lower voice, "-I will have to have a meeting with your parents!"

The room became absolutely silent as he gave all of them a look. Then he took out a handkerchief to wipe away the sweat and composed himself. Soft music filled the room as all the girls went through the basics at the bar. As the teacher gave directions on what to do, Ahiru's thoughts began to drift.

_'So much has happened today, and it's barely past morning! First that dream where I became a princess in a tutu and danced with a beautiful yet lonely prince. Then I found the injured wolf. I didn't even know they had wolves out here!' _Ahiru frowned, _' And Pique and Lillie are going on about some guy named Fakir, but I almost thought they somehow knew-'_

Sensing the intimidating aura behind her, she snapped back to reality.

"Ahiru-san," the teacher said.

"Yes?!" she said.

"Straighten your posture," he told her.

"Yes!" she immediately corrected her mistake.

"Ahiru-san-" he closed his eyes and furrowed his brow in irritation as the Wedding March started again, "If you don't take this seriously, I will have to-"

"I'm terribly sorry!" she put all of her effort into the basics before he could finish.

The teacher stopped barraging her and walked away while wiping his brow with a handkerchief.

After the class finished the basics, everyone took their seats on the floor as the teacher spoke.

"Today we will watch a Pas De Deux performed by Rue Bertram from the special class, and her partner Mytho Schmied."

As he said their names, the pair gracefully entered the room. The girl known as Rue was absolutely lovely, midnight brown hair gently curling out from her bun, with the bangs almost touching her vibrant red eyes. Her dance attire was red with slight frills at the sleeves and a short skirt, fitting her form in a flattering way. With one look it was plain to see she was a true prima ballerina.

Ahiru's eyes widened as she turned her attention to the boy named Mytho. The beautiful prince from her dream shone through his white hair and golden eyes. While his attire was just a simple white shirt and shoes with black leggings, an air of royalty seemed to emanate from him. As Ahiru continued to look at him while he and Rue stepped into the center of the room, she couldn't help but notice how empty his expression was. It was as though he felt nothing at all.

"Hey now!" Pique whispered as she nudged Ahiru out of her revelation, "You've already fallen for Mytho, haven't you!"

"What?!" Ahiru gasped, a small blush creeping over her face.

"Unrequited love!" Lillie fawned over her, "So adorable!"

As the music played, the couple began their dance. The entire class watched in awe, every movement was perfect, each gesture graceful and lovely. But Ahiru closely watched Mytho's face.

_'Just like in my dream,'_ she thought to herself,_ 'I wish he would smile, even just a little!'_

After class, Ahiru hurried in the changing room, _'I need to check on...huh, I wonder if I should give him a name? Ah! Anyway, I should hurry back!'_

"What's the rush Ahiru?" Pique noticed.

"A secret date?!" Lillie proclaimed hopefully.

"No way!" Pique's eyes widened.

"You guys, there's just something I need to take care of!" Ahiru grabbed her stuff and ran off, "See you later!"

"I heard Fakir came to class late," Pique insinuated, "And he was in a really bad mood."

"And he'll surely reject poor Ahiru!" Lillie understood her friend immediately, "We'll have to console her later."

They nodded to each other in agreement.

Ahiru quickly made her way to her dorm room, but when she got there the door was open and the wolf was nowhere in sight.

"He's gone!" Ahiru rushed back out. She barely noticed that the sheets and floor were littered with torn and blood stained bandages.

"I have to find him! He might still be hurt!" she searched seemingly everywhere, even in the most unlikely places.

"Where could he have gone?!" she ran while searching right and left. While she wasn't looking forward she accidentally she crashed into a boy, sending them both to the ground.

"Ow! I'm really sorry! Are you alright?!" she leaped to her feet as he casually did the same.

"Yeah, I'm fine," came his monotone voice. Then she realized it was non other than Mytho.

"Ah! Mytho-sempai!" Ahiru freaked out a bit, "I'm so so so sorry! I should've been watching where I was going! How stupid of me, right? I'm so strange, my friends think I'm strange, heck even I think I'm strange! I'm sure you think I'm strange."

"Not really."

"Really, you don't think I'm strange?!"

"Yes."

Ahiru finally calmed down somewhat, her face partially red, "You really are a nice person. And you dance so well too, just like a prince!"

"Hey!" someone behind her called angrily, startling her witless.

A young man with thick, green black hair pulled back in a low ponytail strode swiftly past her to Mytho.

"I was looking for you," he said, his forest green eyes displeased.

"Ah, Fakir," Mytho said, "I wasn't sure how to find you."

"Moron, let's go," he grabbed Mytho's arm and forcefully lead him in the general direction of the dorms.

"W-wait, um-" Ahiru tried to say something.

"Stop bothering us," Fakir didn't so much as look her way.

"You don't have to be so rude you know!" Ahiru shouted at him.

"Shut up," he said as they went out of earshot.

"Jeez," Ahiru huffed, "What's his problem? I just wanted to ask if they'd seen a wolf around."

She walked off to continue her search, "Oh well, I doubt someone like him would help anyway."

As the sky darkened, she knew it was time to call off the search and go to bed. The full moon rose behind her window, and the now cleaned silver collar gleamed in it 's light. It sat atop the end table next to the window. Ahiru stared at it sadly from her bunk bed.

"Why would anyone be so cruel?" she thought aloud as she fell back onto her bed, clutching her duck pillow to her chest as her eyes began to close.

"I hope he's alright. I wonder if I'll ever see him again..."

After she fell asleep, her pendant suddenly began to glow. Her body was soon engulfed in a mysterious red light.

The next morning Ahiru was out early, trying one more time to find the wolf. She was walking by the boy's dormitory when she saw Canary Mama with her babies. The yellow bird flew from the edge of the building near the nest, and one by one the babies fallowed her example.

"They're learning to fly today!" Ahiru smiled up at them.

But then the last of the fledglings hesitated. It flapped it's little wings, but didn't move from the spot.

"Oh," Ahiru's eyes became sympathetic, "It's scared."

A window not far from the nest opened, and Mytho stepped out onto the sill.

"Ah! That's dangerous!" Ahiru said, but he couldn't hear her.

The boy simply stared at the frustrated fledgling, the breeze teasing his hair and nightshirt. Ahiru was the first to notice a dark shadow shoot through the sky toward the baby bird, but she couldn't do anything to stop it. The mother flew at the raven before it could touch it, but then the baby bird panicked as the scuffle came close to it and hopped of the edge. As it fell, Mytho leaped off the window sill and caught it in his hands, curling his body protectively around it. Ahiru ran to where the boy was falling, trading her worry with the determination to save him. A red light spread from her pendant, engulfing her entire body as she ran. When it finally retreated, it wasn't Ahiru running to save Mytho, it was the beautiful princess from her dream!

"Waltz of Flowers!" she called out, pirouetting around and around. Flowers sprouted from beneath her pointe shoes and created a soft landing for him. His golden eyes opened as he fell into the cushioning petals. The princess gracefully lifted him back up and out of the flower bed. As Mytho took his free hand from his chest, the fledgling peeped softly before flying up into the sky.

"I'm glad you're alright Mytho," the princess said.

"You know who I am?"

The princess nodded.

"Who are you?"

"I-," she paused, her brow furrowing slightly, "I am-"

_'Who am I?!'_

"Quack!" her hands covered her face as she fearfully stepped away from Mytho, _'Oh no! The spell-'_

He continued to look at her as she ran and vanished into the nearby trees.

_'What happened back there?' _Ahiru thought to herself as she ran. The shadow of her tutu clad form shrunk down into the shadow of a small duck, _'Who was I?'_

The little duck fell down atop her shadow, Ahiru's red gem pendant skipping to a stop above her yellow head_, 'I feel so...tired.'_

_To be continued..._

_

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_Even though I'm sure everyone caught on to the constant hinting by now (except for Ahiru), but I'm not going to say it outright until maybe the third chapter. Please be patient for the next chapters! There's more to come! Any advice or comments are welcome! R&R, even if it's no more than two syllables, I'll be grateful for it!

I hope to get better with each chapter I write, so don't be too put off by the first chapter if you think it's not that great. I'll do my best to have the next chapter up by October 3rd!


	2. Chapter 2: Secret

_Disclaimer_: I will never own Princess Tutu, but fortunately I own my mind...I think.

Thank you Hyperpegasi and Winter Snow for supporting me so far!

This is an AU fan fiction. There are no heart shards, instead there are unlucky spells floating around that need to be broken. Drosselmeyer doesn't write stories, but he does carve "curses" into an old oak tree that always come true. None of the people are animals...or at least not originally...there is the girl who becomes a duck, and the boy who becomes...well, I'll let you wait and see. Rated T just to be safe.

Mostly cannon parings (I might throw in a couple extras!), and as close to character as possible. They might act a little differently, but that would be because the storyline is different, thus tweaking their personalities somewhat. I apologize for anything anyone might find worth getting upset over. I'm really hoping people like this!

* * *

**Chapter 2: Secret**

A new day has begun, and magic from a time long ago has awakened. Will the day be bright with victory? Dark with despair? Or maybe...**  
**

Blurry eyes opened slowly, '_Huh...where am I...'_

"Quack!" a yellow wing came into focus.

Ahiru the duck began to panic, '_Oh no! What happened?! Why am I in the woods?!"_

She noticed her pendant on the ground and quickly flipped it back over her head and around her neck.

_'Whew, I can't lose my pendant!' _she thought to herself in determination, '_I don't want to be stuck as a duck!"_

"Ahiru!" a soft voice called.

Her head shot up to the direction the voice had come from, _'Adel-san?'_

"Ahiru!" the voice came closer.

"Quack!" Ahiru cried, running toward the voice, '_I'm coming Adel-san!'_

"There you are," the woman came into view. She had pale green hair pulled up and out in a unique fashion, both uncovering and framing her beautiful face. A small, sprout like tuft stood at the peak, almost unnoticeable. Her eyes were a blank, dark blue and she wore light make up over her pale, doll like features. The dress and accessories were somewhat eccentric in style, but looked quite good on her. From the strange box she carried out in front of her, she conjured out a canteen and twisted off the cap.

"Qua-" Ahiru lowered her head as water rained down on her. A red glow rose about her from her pendant and stretched her form upward. When the light left, Ahiru the girl stood where the duck had, but without cloths.

"Here," Adel handed her a school uniform.

"Th-thank you Adel-san!" Ahiru stuttered slightly, a bit embarrassed.

"What happened?" Adel asked as Ahiru swiftly pulled her cloths on.

"Well, I got up early this morning to look for this injured wolf I found the other day. Then I saw Mytho jump from his window to save a baby bird and as I ran to save him my body grew warm and I suddenly wasn't myself," Ahiru finished dressing and stood to look at Adel, "I was in a ballerina outfit and I called for flowers and they made a soft landing for him. It was so amazing! I've never moved so gracefully before! Then he asked me who I was, but I was so startled in not knowing who I was that I qua-uh you know."

Edel closed her eyes briefly after hearing this, then she turned away and started walking, "Come to the shop after school...we'll talk about that then."

"Alright," Ahiru walked beside her, "Maybe Drosselmeyer-san will know something."

"Perhaps," Adel's face revealed nothing.

"Eh heh," Ahiru laughed slightly, "I'm sure it's not a bad thing. It was really kinda nice."

Adel said nothing for a moment, then changed the subject, "I'll explain to your teacher why you were late. Try to be more careful next time."

"Alright," Ahiru nodded, determined, "Thank you Adel-san."

"You're welcome Ahiru," Adel said.

With that, they walked into the school and headed for the ballet studio.

Ahiru stepped into the studio first, not noticing the ballet teacher was waiting by the doors.

"Is there a reason for your tardiness, Ahiru-san?" he asked suddenly, making her jump and whirl around.

All of the classmates paused to see what was happening.

"Eh ah, well I-ah," she waved her arms in nervousness.

"Forgive her sir, she was with me, " Adel stepped in, shocking the teacher considerably.

"Wh-who are you?!" the teacher demanded shakily, '_What a beautiful young woman!'_

"I'm her guardian, Lydia Adel," she answered, "I apologize for the inconvenience. We were discussing an important matter and lost track of the hour."

The teacher nodded somewhat meekly before he straightened up, his eyes closed, and extended his hand,"Perfectly forgivable Edel-san. I'm Ahiru's instructor, Felix Machol, though please, feel free to call me Felix."

"Nice to meet you Machol-san," Adel was already turned back to the door, "Goodbye, have a pleasant day."

Machol-sensei was left frozen by her words, "Ha-have a pleasant day."

"See you later Adel-san," Ahiru said before going to sit with her classmates.

'_Why,' _Machol-sensei's universe spun, '_Why did it happen like that?!'_

_"_Oh," Pique whispered in Ahiru's ear, "Your guardian gave Machol-sensei the cold shoulder!"

"He's in a state of shock and wounded pride!" Lillie chirped in her other ear, "How tragic!"

"Eh heh heh," Ahiru laughed uncertainly, not quite knowing what to say.

After school, Ahiru walked alone down the schoolyard. She found herself walking past Mytho and a girl with long, bushy brown hair, and accidentally heard their conversation.

"So will you go out with me, instead of Rue?" the girl asked.

"Ehh?" Ahiru stopped walking altogether.

"Alright," Mytho answered in his expressionless voice.

"Ehh?!" Ahiru gawked before hurriedly rushing away when the girl turned to look.

Then, of all people, Ahiru saw Rue heading their way.

"Quack!" Ahiru covers her mouth a little too late and plunges herself into a bush. A moment later Ahiru the duck hops out and frantically quacks at Rue, trying to stop her.

Rue was surprised for a moment, but soon smiled and continued onward.

_'__Oh no! She'll be so upset when she sees that!' _Ahiru panicked before realizing, _'T__hat's right! I'll turn back into a girl and stop her from seeing that!'_

She ran full speed to the fountain and hopped into the water. Only as she leaped back out as a girl did she realize her condition and, "Ah! Quack!"

As a duck she zoomed back, grabbed her cloths, ran to a bush, hid the cloths there, jumped in the fountain, turned back to a girl, hopped out and into the bush. Finally she jumped out of the bush as a girl with cloths on and ran to intercept Rue. Unfortunately, Rue was already close enough to see Mytho and the bushy haired brunette stand up from the ground, hand in hand.

"Ah!" Ahiru popped up in front of Rue and started waving her arms wildly, "Er, um, ah-"

"Why hello Rue-san," the girl spoke, catching both Ahiru and Rue's undivided attention.

"I'll inform you now that Mytho-san has just agreed to go out with me," she smiled, a small red glow appearing in her brown eyes, "It's clear who's ahead now isn't it? Later."

The girl walked smugly away with Mytho.

Ahiru looked back at the somewhat surprised looking Rue, "Ah, I don't think that's right, er, um it isn't, ah-"

Rue smiled gently, "You're a kind person, aren't you?"

"Huh?" Ahiru blushed.

"I'm not worried by this," Rue continued her walk, true to her word. Ahiru looked after her with amazement.

_'Of course, Rue-chan is a true Prima Donna!' _Ahiru thought to herself as she walked through the streets on her way to the shop, _'But why would someone as nice as Mytho-sempai be so cold toward his girlfriend? I don't understand!'_

Soon she came to an old, but well kept shop on the street corner. The interior was dimly lit, and the objects on the shelves crowded each other. There were odds and ends hear and there, but there was mostly jewelry, stones, and watches in the shop.

"Why hello Ahiru-chan," a man suddenly appeared behind Ahiru.

"Qua-" she slapped her hands over her face before she could utter the traitorous word, "Don't do that Drosselmyer-san!"

Drosselmyer was interesting to say the least. His crazed brown eyes were wide and round, and one might worry they would pop from his large, wrinkly head. His long white hair curled up at the ends under his odd looking hat. His cloths were rather odd, bearing some bright colors here and there. Even before hearing his creepy laugh, people would believe he was a senile old man.

"What? All I did was say hello," he held his gloved hands out and shrugged at her as if genuinely perplexed.

"You don't have to sneak around like that!" Ahiru shook her finger at the elder.

"But that's what I do best!" he chuckled to himself, "Among other things..."

"Like turning ducks into girls and then messing with their heads to your hearts content?" Ahiru rattled off easily, most likely having had conversations similar to this on many occasions.

"Now Ahiru-chan," he frowned at her, "Messing with just one person's head isn't enough to content myself with."

"I know, you'd mess with the whole town if you had the chance," Ahiru leaned against a shelf.

"Now there's an idea," Drosselmyer laughed to himself quietly, too quietly for Ahiru to hear.

"Well, anyway," Ahiru spoke again, "Did Adel-san tell you what happened today?"

"You became a princess who saved her prince?" his back was turned to her.

"Eh, you know what's going on Drosselmyer-san?!" she asked, hope in her eyes.

"Your pendant knows," his face cracked into a wide grin, though Ahiru couldn't see this.

"The pendant?" Ahiru blinked in confusion.

"It has more than just the power to turn a duck into a girl."

"Really?" Ahiru looked at it closely.

"It has chosen to help you, but in return it will expect your help," Adel spoke as she walked out from behind the shelves.

"My help?" Ahiru turned her attention to Adel.

"Yes, it has it's own desires, and the only way to obtain them is through you," Adel ran her hands through a pile of jewels and stones.

"What does it want exactly?" Ahiru asked.

"To right wrongs from long ago," Adel answered vaguely, "It's past is veiled in mystery."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"You will know when the time comes," Drosselmyer said as he vanished into the shadows chuckling, "And that time isn't that far off, Ahiru-chan!"

"Be strong Ahiru," Adel led her to the door, "Fate has spun a new story. Don't let it overwhelm you."

"I don't completely understand all this," Ahiru turned to look at Adel, "but, thank-you for the advise, I will do my best!"

"Good luck Ahiru," Adel stood in the doorway as she walked down the sidewalk, "Sleep well tonight."

An incomplete moon hovered in the evening sky.

"Bye!" Ahiru called back with a wave before running back to the dorms.

She was taking a short cut through the park when a sudden feeling made her stop. Her pendant was glowing brightly, "The pendant..."

Then she saw the black wolf dart across the walk a few yards ahead of her, carrying something long and slim in it's mouth. It didn't notice her.

"Ah! The wolf's alright after all! Thank goodness," Ahiru smiled as she stared into the darkness it had vanished into.

The pendant's glow flickered, as if trying to catch her attention.

"Ah! Is there something I need to do?" Ahiru tried to understand what it wanted.

The ground shook beneath her feet and she heard shouting come from the same direction the wolf had taken. She noticed her pendant seemed to be reacting to it and ran to see why it was so determined for her to go that way. As she came closer to the noise, she felt a rush of wind and had to shield her face with her hands. Her pendant's glow was the brightest she'd ever seen it.

"Drosselmyer said I'd know what to do, but..." Ahiru held the pendant to her heart and closed her eyes, "I don't know."

"Mytho!" Ahiru's head shot up at the sound of a masculine voice not far ahead of where she stood.

_'That voice sounded like...' _She ran forward till she reached the clearing it had come from. Her eyes grew wide at the scene before her. Two men that seemed to be made of earth fought a young man dressed in black. In the last of the day's light, she recognized his dark hair and fierce gaze. It was Fakir.

_'I knew that voice sounded familiar!'_ Ahiru thought, turning her attention to the others in the clearing. Mytho was being restrained by the girl he'd agreed to go out with earlier that day. The two of them were surrounded by more of the earthen men, but it was clear they weren't attacking. The girl was glowing red.

_'Why is the light around her like my pendant?' _Ahiru thought.

"Finish him!" the girl ordered, her voice different from before, sending a shiver down Ahiru's spine. More earthen men attacked Fakir, he was in danger.

"Fakir!" Mytho tried to pull away.

_'I have to...' _the pendant's light overwhelmed her, _'...save them!'_

"Stop this!" the princess cried as she leaped into the clearing.

Everyone froze and turned to look at her. The prince's eye's lit with recognition.

"It's you."

The princess nodded and danced her way to the girl and Mytho, the guards stepping aside for her, "Why are you doing this?"

"Why..." the girl stared at her, her eyes confused,"Why..."

The princess smiled, twirled her arms above her head and then outstretched her right hand to the girl, "Will you dance with me?"

The glowing girl blinked before nodding slowly. She placed her hand in the princess's and they danced together.

"Why are you so upset?" the princess asked.

"I...I've been so frustrated recently," the glowing ebbed, "_Rue is the best, Rue is so beautiful, everyone looks up to Rue_. I'm so sick of it."

"You want to be recognized?" the princess asked.

"Yes, why is it everyone idolizes Rue when there are so many others that are still very good?" a peaceful expression had begun to replace her pained one.

"Does that really matter? As long as you focus on your dance, and pour yourself into it, I'm sure they will recognize your feelings," the princess brought the dance to a close, "Don't let frustration control you like that, be strong and have faith in your abilities. You are a wonderful dancer."

"...thank you," the glow left the girl and flooded into the pendant. All the earthen men vanished back into the ground. When the girl fainted in exhaustion, the princess caught her.

"Who are you?" the princess turned to see Fakir step between her and Mytho.

"I..." she looked down, "I have no name."

"What?" Fakir hadn't anticipated that response.

"I have yet to be given one that I know of," she pulled the tired girl's arm over her shoulders, "My past has been lost to me."

"...Princess Tutu," both of them looked up at the sound of Mytho's voice.

"What?" the princess asked in confusion.

"Will you take that name?" Mytho asked.

"Mytho, what are you-" Fakir frowned.

"Is that really alright?" she asked, as a blush began to stain her cheeks.

"Yes," Mytho nodded, "Thank you for helping us, Princess Tutu."

Her face reddened and she bowed her head, "And thank you for the name. I will cherish it."

"What is your purpose in helping us?" Fakir asked in a low voice, still suspicious.

"Fakir-" Mytho protested lightly.

"My purpose is to right wrongs from long ago," Tutu said, half carrying the girl to the edge of the clearing, "I know no more than that."

"Don't expect me to trust you," Fakir warned her, "I won't hesitate to protect Mytho."

"I have no intention of bringing anyone to harm," Tutu said after a slight pause, "Goodnight."

Moving steadily, she left with the brown haired girl. Mytho and Fakir watched her go, both wearing unreadable expressions.

The next day before school, Ahiru watched as the girl approached Rue.

"Rue-san, I must apologize for my behavior yesterday," the girl said in a straightforward manner, "It was wrong of me to try and ruin you and Mytho-san's relationship. There is no excuse for my actions."

"I knew all along that you had no interest in Mytho," Rue said, "It was an underhanded and malicious act that you committed Naomi-san."

"I will never again revert to such ugly methods," Naomi stood tall, "From this day forward, I will pour myself into ballet. I will show everyone what a great dancer I truly am."

"Then I will look forward to it," Rue turned to leave, "Good day Naomi."

"Good day," Naomi nodded as they went their separate ways.

_'Thank goodness,' _Ahiru thought to herself, _'Things are back to normal!'_

"Ahiru-san," Machol-sensei apeared beside her.

"Ah! Good morning Sensei!" Ahiru said nervously, "I was just on my way to class."

"I'm sorry to inform you that your test results from yesterday dropped you to the Apprentice class," his almost smug expression contradicted his words, "If you don't improve over the next week, I will have to meet with your guardians."

"Quack?!" Ahiru was so horrified that she didn't cover her mouth in time. She made a dash for it and ran away before anyone could see her transformation.

_'I have to hurry and change back, before I'm late to class again!' _Ahiru the duck cried in dismay.

_To be continued..._

_

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_

Please forgive me for all the strange names, I was trying to turn it a little more to German type names instead of Japanese. I know Ahiru is still Japanese, but I just couldn't bring myself to give her a different name! I also realize that I've somehow managed to mix in japanese terms such as -san, -chan, -and -sensei while still writing the family name last and the individuals' names first. Sorry if I caused any discomfort or confusion!

The story is starting to come together, what do you all think so far? There's more to come! I hope to do even better with the next chapter!

Wow! I beat my deadline! Hope you enjoy it! R&R pretty please!


	3. Chapter 3: Touch

_Disclaimer_: I do not own Princess Tutu...but neither does Drosselmyer, so there!

Thank you Hyperpegasi, Winter Snow, SinShu, and tsubasamemories for supporting me so far!

This is an AU fan fiction. There are no heart shards, instead there are unlucky spells floating around that need to be broken. Drosselmeyer doesn't write stories, but he does carve "curses" into an old oak tree that always come true. None of the people are animals...or at least not originally...there is the girl who becomes a duck, and the boy who becomes...well, I'll let you wait and see. Rated T just to be safe.

New summary. Spells from long ago are creating havoc. A girl with a magic pendant discovers the ability to become the mysterious Princess Tutu. But why is it like this? Who exactly is the boy? What about his best friend/bodyguard, girlfriend, or the wolf?

Mostly cannon parings (I might throw in a couple extras!), and as close to character as possible. They might act a little differently, but that would be because the storyline is different, thus tweaking their personalities somewhat. I apologize for anything anyone might find worth getting upset over. I'm really hoping people like this!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Touch**

Eyes meet, fingers intertwine, and three words fill the air. Is this the beginning of a romance? A tragedy? Or maybe...

_I became Princess Tutu and helped save everyone..._

Ahiru's eyes glazed over as she daydreamed.

"Pull your chin up!" Pique scolded her as the book slid off her head and hit the floor.

"Ah aha ha ha..." Ahiru laughed nervously as Pique's flaming stare scorched down on her.

"It's nothing to laugh at!" Pique stabbed her finger into Ahiru's nose, "At this rate, you'll never get out of the Apprentice class-"

"STOP!" Lillie shoved Pique away from Ahiru, sending her somersaulting across the studio floor, "Don't ask for the impossible!"

"Doing two things at once is impossible for Ahiru!" Lillie held her arms around Ahiru's head.

"It's only balancing books on her head while walking!" Pique shot as she clenched her fists.

"Even if it's that simple, you just can't do things you can't do!" Lillie declared, squishing Ahiru's head as she viciously rubbed her hand over the top of Ahiru's orange hair.

"She'll never be a Prima like that!" Pique said.

"That's simply not possible for Ahiru!" Lillie gave Pique a sad look, "Don't say any more cruel things like that!"

"Look how much you've hurt her!" Lillie looked down into Ahiru's pained face, "Smile...smile-"

"That's your doing," Pique said as she watched Lillie pull Ahiru's face into painful smile.

"Is not!" Lillie denied.

"But you know," Pique had a thoughtful look on her face, "Acting like a fool when you're in the Apprentice class...isn't that a little strange, Ahiru?"

"She's always strange, you know," Lillie said.

"More strange than usual, I mean!" Pique explained.

"Now that you mention it..." Lillie said as they both looked at Ahiru.

"I wonder if something happened...?" They said in a suggestive manner.

"No, nothing really!" Ahiru said in defense.

"Liar!" They said.

"Er, well I um-" Ahiru tried to think of what to say.

"Say it," They said.

"Ah let's see-" Ahiru said, finally thinking of something, "Ah yes, a dream, it's about a dream! I was a a beautiful ballerina named Princess Tutu. There was a girl who glowed with a red light, but after I danced with her the light left her and was absorbed into my pendant. When the light left her body, everything went back to normal-"

"That's it?" They asked, interrupting her story.

"I get the feeling I've heard that story before," Pique said.

"Story?" Ahiru asked.

"The tale of the phantom girl who rights wrongs, right?" Lillie said.

"Wh-where did you hear that story?!" Ahiru asked.

"Eh, it's an old rumor. Isn't that common knowledge?" Pique said.

"I-is that right?" Ahiru said.

"This isn't the time to be grinning foolishly and talking about fairy tails, is it now?" Pique said as she placed one of the books back on Ahiru's head.

"Two books is just too much for you, huh Ahiru?" Lillie said as they began to leave.

"Make sure you can do it by the end of the day!" Pique ordered.

"Do your best. You have nothing to lose," Lillie raised her hand in farewell.

"No skipping out!" Pique ordered as they left.

"Ahh, you know," Ahiru called after them, "Was the girl seen in the park?"

"Huh? She's said to have appeared in multiple places," Pique said.

"Wha?" Ahiru blinked.

"The last story was that she helped an elderly seamstress on the far side of town, right?" Lillie asked as they walked out the door.

"That's right, her neighbor claimed to have seen the whole thing," Pique answered.

While she was alone, Ahiru set the book down and rested against the bar. She had a distant, thoughtful look on her face.

"There's a story floating around about Princess Tutu? Something mysterious like that, I wonder how it happened," Ahiru said to herself as she stared out the window, "I only became her twice, and that was yesterday. No one else was around-"

She noticed Rue walking toward the swan shaped fountain outside carrying a basket, "Ah, Rue-chan, I wonder if she's heard the story...Ah! Mytho-sempei!"

Ahiru watched as the two people met by the fountain, "He's going on a picnic with Rue-chan. How lucky...but then, a duck-girl like me would never have a chance to do something like that."

Ahiru sighed, "Maybe I should start practicing again-"

"Hey!" a voice caught her attention, it was Fakir leaning on the door, "Have you seen Mytho?"

"Is there something wrong with Mytho-sempei?" Ahiru asked stiffly, not happy to see the jerk again.

"That boy..." Fakir glared into space, "Going out without telling me..."

"Does it matter?" Ahiru said with a frown, "Mytho-sempei is Rue-chan's boyfriend after all."

"What?!" Fakir's gaze snapped to her and he quickly strode up to her, "Is he with Rue? Where did they go? Answer me!"

"I don't know..." Ahiru said with wide eyes as he cornered her against the wall, leaning over her in an intimidating way.

"You liar!" he said.

"It's true I tell you!" Ahiru shot back.

After a moment he finally backed off and began to walk away, "Whatever, I'll find them on my own."

Ahiru looked after him with a grimace.

_'Ah, I wonder if he knows anything about Princess Tutu...' _she suddenly remembered, "Um...do you know anything about the phantom girl who rights wrongs?"

"What about it?" Fakir turned his attention back to her.

"Well I'm not really sure..." Ahiru tried to think about what to ask.

"Hmph, it's just a ridiculous rumor," he turned back to the doors and walked out.

"Who does he think he is?" Ahiru wrinkled her nose at his attitude as she attempted to balance with the book, "He doesn't know anything!"

"I'll have to find the answers myself," Ahiru said in determination after failing to keep the book on her head.

"It's not skipping," Ahiru told herself as she walked through town, "I'm just recharging my spirit. It's okay if it's just that! And if I happen to run into them, I can just warn them that that jerk is looking for them...I wonder if I should tell Mytho-sempei that I'm..."

"Reality has a shy nature. If you get too close it will hide away," came a nearby voice, making Ahiru pause and look about.

"Adel-san?" Ahiru asked.

"Reality can't stand to be alone. If you try to keep it away, it will chase after you," Adel came from behind a building and stepped toward Ahiru, "Confused about something I wonder?"

"Y-yeah," Ahiru nodded, "You see, yesterday on my way to the dorms, my pendant reacted and I went to find what it wanted. There was a girl using a strange power and she glowed with a red light, just like I do when I become the princess--Mytho-sempei named me Princess Tutu by the way--but after I danced with her, and helped her sort out her feelings, the glow left her body and flew into my pendant. She was back to normal this morning, but then I heard from Pique and Lillie that stories similar to that have happened recently. What do you think, Adel-san?"

"...I think I've also heard similar stories," Adel-san said softly in thought, "Perhaps I should look into them some more."

"Really? That would make me feel better," Ahiru smiled.

"Alright," Adel smiled before turning away, "I have to go back to the shop now. Take care."

"Okay, bye Adel-san!" Ahiru waved after her before turning to go on her way.

"Oh, and Ahiru?" Adel's voice made her pause and look back, "Make sure you practice hard to get out of the Apprentice Class."

Ahiru stood dumbfounded as she watched Adel vanish down the street, "How did...she know...about that...?!"

Finally shaking it off, she went for a walk in the park. It was a nice day tho go for a walk, she smiled to herself and hummed a simple tune. Then she noticed a furry black tail on the other side of the bushes. Quick to find out what it was, Ahiru stuck her head over them. It was the wolf.

"Hey! I found you again!" Ahiru began to step over/through the bushes. The wolf's head snapped up to look at her and it growled defensively.

"Ahh!" she fell face first onto the ground, "Ah usen erey ice!" (A.N.: she said "that wasn't very nice")

The wolf sweat dropped, it's green eyes declaring the face-planted girl an idiot.

"Hmph, you didn't have to startle me like that, you know!" Ahiru sat up, wiping the dirt off her face, and dusting the grass off her cloths, "I've been worried about you. You just ran off after I treated you wounds and I had no idea if you were alright or not!"

The wolf growled at her again.

"Jeeze, what's your problem?! You're just like that jerk, Fakir-sempei!" Ahiru stood stiffly and turned her back on the wolf, "...I'll just call you Fakir-chan then. It serves you right!"

The wolf stopped growling and Ahiru turned to look. Fakir the wolf was staring at her with his startled forest-green eyes. Ahiru stared right back at it.

_'They remind me of Fakir-sempei's eyes. How strange...' _Ahiru smiled, "Your eyes are really handsome when you aren't making mean faces."

An obscured blush found it's way across the wolf's face and it took a small step back, "Grruff!"

"What's wrong? Hey!" Ahiru shouted after him as he started running away, "Where are you going?!"

Even though he was far ahead of her, she chased after him. When she finally caught up with him, he'd found Rue. He snarled angrily at her, though she barely took the time to look up at him. A picnic basket sat half empty beside her.

"Oh, it's you again," Rue rested her head back against the tree, "I don't want to play fetch, so go away."

"Ah! Rue-chan!" Ahiru caught Rue's attention, "You know Fakir-chan?"

The wolf growled at Ahiru again.

"It's your own fault for acting like him. Stop being such a grump!" Ahiru frowned at him.

"You named him after Fakir? How appropriate," Rue stood from the ground and dusted her skirt off.

"S-sorry to disturb you," Ahiru apologized, then she remembered something, "Weren't you with Mytho-sempei? I thought you went on a picnic together."

Fakir-chan growled again, but both girls ignored him.

"He just went to get some water," Rue said.

"Ah, well, enjoy your picnic!" Ahiru said with an awkward smile, "I'll go now!"

When Ahiru turned to leave, she noticed Fakir-chan was already on the go, "Hey!"

Hearing her voice, the wolf ran faster. Ahiru quickly ran after him, catching up rather easier than one would expect. Rue merely blinked after them.

"He probably caught Mytho's scent..." Rue said to herself, "He _has _been gone for a while now..."

Ahiru fallowed Fakir-chan a good distance through town, and showed no sign of giving up. As they ran through the woods at the edge of town, they abruptly found themselves standing before a restaurant. Ahiru paused at the tree line as the black wolf dashed to the front door. She saw that there was a grave in the backyard, and felt a wave of sadness. Only as Fakir-chan began snarling and scratching at the door did Ahiru join him there.

"What are you doing? The owner won't be-" she stopped short as she realized her pendant was glowing.

The door suddenly swung open, "Welcome!"

Ahiru nearly quacked in surprise as the apron clad woman towered over her, "I'm sorry we-"

"Come in, come in!" she grabbed Ahiru's arm in an attempt to pull her inside.

"Wait I-" Ahiru was roughly shoved out of the way by the snarling Fakir-chan. The woman glared at him with glowing red eyes.

"Fakir-chan!" Ahiru half cried, half scolded, as she scrambled to her feet.

The glow suddenly spread over the woman's body as she grew angrier with the wolf, "How dare you!"

A blinding white light changed the surrounding area into a watery landscape. The glowing woman stood on a white boat, and an unconscious Mytho rode along with her. Fakir-chan growled in frustration at the edge of the water when soldiers in watery armor emerged from it. As they raised their swords to point them at him, Ahiru's eyes widened.

"STOP IT!" Ahiru ran out in front of Fakir-chan, the transformation into Princess Tutu completing as she stood there. Uncertain, the soldiers stepped back and lowered their swords, "There is no need to fight."

"Who are you?" the woman demanded, her voice betraying her surprise. The wolf was similarly startled.

"I am called Princess Tutu," the soldiers vanished into the water as she stepped onto it, another boat materializing beneath her shoes, "What is your name?"

"My name is Agatha," the woman said in a lower voice.

Princess Tutu twirled her hands over her head and brought her hand out before her in a welcoming pose, "Would you please dance with me, Agatha-san?"

"Dance? Nonsense!" the boat drifted further away, "I cook food for customers! I won't let you distract me!"

"Please Agatha-san," Tutu's boat soon fallowed after, "I want to know why you're upset."

"Why I'm...upset?" Agatha hesitated, her expression softening.

"Dance with me, Agatha-san," Tutu held out her hand as the boats met. Finally, Agatha took her hand. The boats became one as they danced.

"What troubles you?" Tutu asked gently.

"I-" Agatha began, "I've been so lonely here, ever since my husband died...the customers stopped coming too, everything I cook seems so cold and tasteless...all I have left are the recipes my husband made with me, and any customers that take the trouble to visit."

"How sad," Tutu said in sympathy, "You've lost so much...but you can still regain your happiness."

"Regain my happiness?" Agatha asked. Behind them, Mytho awoke and stood up, watching them with his large amber eyes.

"This restaurant was important to both you and your husband, and you still have your recipes," Tutu said.

"But he's no longer here to help me," tears filled her eyes, "I'm all alone."

"No you're not," Tutu smiled, "He lives on in your heart."

Picking a lily pad from the water, a small box revealed itself in her hands, "And in your recipes you made together. I'm sure your husband wants you to continue making delicious food. You can turn your loneliness into strength."

The woman burst into tears as she held the box to her heart, "I...I feel that I can cook hot and delicious food again...I won't give in to loneliness...I will make this a great restaurant once again!"

The red glow abandoned Agatha and vanished into Tutu's pendant. Everything returned to normal, and Tutu helped the limp restaurant owner sit down at one of the tables.

With a smile, Tutu turned to leave. She curtsied as she walked by Mytho, "It was nice to be able to see you again, goodbye."

He took a hold of her wrist to make her stop,"Thank you, Tutu."

She blinked once, then she smiled at him, "You're welcome, Mytho."

Pulling her hand back as she curtsied one last time, she left the restaurant. Mytho watched her disappear out the open door.

Ahiru sighed deeply after returning to her ordinary self within the safety of the trees, "Mytho is such a good person, I'm sure I could trust him..."

Determined, she turned to step out of the woods, only to freeze and duck back into the bushes (A.N.: no pun intended, I swear!). Fakir and Rue were walking up to Mytho on the path to the restaurant.

"What were you doing here Mytho?" Fakir demanded.

"Nothing," Mytho said.

Both Rue and Fakir were slightly taken aback by his answer.

"You were gone for quite a while," Rue said, "Were you talking with someone?"

"Princess Tutu," Mytho said.

"Who?" Rue asked.

"The stranger that dances with those controlled by the red light," said Fakir.

"Oh, so she told you her name then."

"Actually, Mytho named her."

Rue's eyes widened before she composed herself, "I suppose that makes sense."

"It suited her," Mytho said, startling both of them again.

_'What's wrong with them?' _Ahiru thought to herself, _'Why are they giving him such odd looks?'_

_To be continued..._

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_

I hope everyone noticed how _Fakir-__chan_ saw _everything_! (And Ahiru remains ever-so-clueless...) Honestly though, I did not see this one coming.

My third chapter! I'm so happy! Any type of review is welcome! I hope you've all enjoyed this so far! More surprises are on their way! (Please tell me what you think, it lets me know you care.)


	4. Chapter 4: Her's Eternally

_Disclaimer_: I do not own Princess Tutu...

_No duh Authorsaurus  
_

...who let her in here?

_You can't expect to keep me out of this._

There is no need for you to be here.

_Ouch, that hurt. That really hurt._

...unless of course you want to be one of Machol-sensei's bride candidates...

_Che, I'm not scared of him-_

-alright then, I'll make it Femio-san instead.

_...I'll get you for this..._

...and she's gone! Remind me to fix that block aid!

(Don't worry, I won't let her in on this story XD, but be on the lookout in the others!)

Thank you ahiru-chan73, Hyperpegasi (my sister), James Birdsong, lemoncherrylove, Light-Sakura, mangarawks, SinShu, tsubasamemories, Turtles95, and Winter Snow for supporting me so far!

This is an AU fan fiction. There are no heart shards, instead there are unlucky spells floating around that need to be broken. Drosselmeyer doesn't write stories, but he does carve "curses" into an old oak tree that always come true. None of the people are animals...or at least not originally...there is the girl who becomes a duck, and the boy who becomes...well, I'll let you wait and see. Rated T just to be safe.

New summary. Spells from long ago are creating havoc. A girl with a magic pendant discovers the ability to become the mysterious Princess Tutu. But why is it like this? Who exactly is the boy? What about his best friend/bodyguard, girlfriend, or the wolf?

Mostly cannon parings (I might throw in a couple extras!), and as close to character as possible. They might act a little differently, but that would be because the storyline is different, thus tweaking their personalities somewhat. I apologize for anything anyone might find worth getting upset over. I'm really hoping people like this!

* * *

**Chapter 4: Her's Eternally**

To whom does the prince belong? The princess? The ordinary girl? Or maybe...

Ahiru and her friends watched from the upper level of the school as Rue danced below. Graceful as always, she demonstrated all she had learned for Machol-sensei and the other special class members. As she went through each technique, the three girls above tried to imitate her performance.

"Just as you'd expect," sighed Pique.

"She really is a genius, isn't she?" Lillie said.

"I wonder if I'll be able to dance like that someday..." Ahiru absentmindedly said as she watched Rue dance. When she realized what she'd said, she nervously looked up at her friends' shocked reactions.

"You've finally started to feel that way!" Pique exclaimed. Ahiru stared at her with a blank look.

"What an extravagant dream!" Lillie exclaimed. Ahiru quickly looked at her.

"That's the way Ahiru!" Pique told her excitedly as they converged on her. Ahiru really was at a loss for words.

"Being absurd id your best quality!" Lillie held a hand to the side of her face as she ruffed the top of Ahiru's head with her other hand.

"It's better to have big dreams!" Pique said.

"That way your failures are big too!" Lillie said.

"If you try you best, there's nothing you can't do!" Pique gave Ahiru a one arm hug while she lifted her hand in an "I love you" sign for the world to see.

"At least that's true for normal people!" Lillie leaned back against Ahiru as she held her arms to her heart.

"Well, for now, if you don't get out of the Apprentice class first..." They said in unison as Pique gave the wincing Ahiru a stern look, and Lillie poked Ahiru's left cheek with her index finger.

Below, Rue continued to dance, and Ahiru watched as her mind began to drift, _'I've never been able to do that on my own. Only as Princess Tutu have I been able to dance so gracefully, but even though I can somehow become her, she isn't me. In fact, I'm actually a duck turned into a clumsy girl by Drosselmyer-san's magic pendant. He's not a bad person. I'm happy to be human... it's just that he's so confusing! Even though I've known him for most of my life, he's never once given me a clear answer-'_

Ahiru's attention snapped back to reality as she noticed Rue's strained expression. While she continued to dance gracefully, it was clear to anyone who cared to look at her face that she was exhausted, and fighting herself to keep dancing. As she balanced on one foot, the exhaustion finally caught her off and her weight went too far forward.

"Look out!" Ahiru cried out, turning everyone's attention to herself as Rue fell to the ground. Everyone stared in shock at the fallen prima-dona. For several moments. no one moved.

Later, as Ahiru's class ended, Machol-sensei held her back.

"Ahiru-san," the teacher said seriously, "As punishment for disturbing the Special Class, you will practice after class today. Understand?"

"Yes sir," Ahiru said.

"If you practice steadily, I will even place you back in the Elementary Class," he told her.

"Yes sir!" Ahiru said happily.

"If you don't practice steadily..." he said, "I will contact your guardian immediately!"

Ahiru promptly went into her practice, and Machol-sensei left without another word.

"Having to be singled out to fall back into the Apprentice Class, and then having to stay after class to practice..." she sighed, "I may never be like Rue-chan in my life time!"

Looking out the windows, she saw Mytho and Rue meeting below. She paused her practice to take a closer look. As she watched them walk down the sidewalk, she thought about how Rue and Fakir had seemed unnerved by Mytho's words the day before.

_'It wasn't really that strange for him to think Princess Tutu was a suitable name,' _Ahiru thought, _'I'm not sure why, but I have the feeling there's something I'm missing.'_

"But anyway, I shouldn't be bothered by this, right?!" Ahiru told herself, "I should focus on helping Princess Tutu!"

Quickly she pushed herself into her practice, "And I need to get better so I'm at least out of the Apprentice Class!"

Suddenly, music filled the room, and Ahiru saw that the pianist was playing for her. She smiled broadly in appreciation and went into her routine with a happy look on her face. For a while she immersed herself into it and let everything else float to the back of her mind.

A short while later, behind the the doors to the studio, Ahiru's friends peeked in.

"Piano?" Lillie asked quietly.

"Ahiru is..." Pique stared in surprise as Ahiru practiced happily at the bar.

Pique and Lillie walked into the room, both with surprised looks upon their faces, "Ahiru!"

"What? Oh, what's up you two?" Ahiru smiled back at them as she continued to practice.

"That's our line!" Pique said.

"That's right," Lillie said, "We came since we thought you'd be soooo depressed at having to stay after class today..."

"Just why are you so lively?" Pique asked.

"Thanks!" Ahiru smiled, "But I'm really enjoying myself right now! After all, the more you practice, the more fun dancing gets!"

"Ahiru!" Lillie snatched Ahiru's face, unwittingly twisting her head at an odd and painful angle, "Don't push yourself! It's alright to be sad when you feel sad...And be pained when it's painful..."

She let go, and finally looked at Ahiru's now pained face as her head turned back to it's proper direction, "You were in pain after all, weren't you?"

"It's your fault," Pique said bluntly, "I'm telling you."

"No way," Lillie denied.

"Are you alright?" Pique asked Ahiru.

"I'm...all...right..." Ahiru managed to speak as her head finally righted itself.

"Hey, shall we join you?" Lillie asked suddenly.

"Ah, that sounds good!" Pique said.

"What? Ah, thanks!" Ahiru's face brightened.

"It's fine!" Lillie grasped her hand in both of hers, "Anyway, it's all for you, Ahiru!"

"Alright!" Lillie cheered, "Time to practice in the Apprentice Class with Ahiru!"

Pique and Lillie quickly got changed and began practicing with Ahiru. They were all smiling, and having a good time.

"You're still a little rough, aren't you, Ahiru?" Lillie commented gleefully.

On the upper level of the school, Machol-sensei watched them with an approving eye.

"Ahiru-san!" he called, making the three girls stop and look up.

"Machol-sensei!" Ahiru called in surprise.

"Ahiru-san," he said, "You've been working very hard, haven't you?"

"Y-yes sir!" Ahiru responded.

"I have some disappointing news for you," he said, "I'm afraid I won't have the pleasure of meeting your guardians."

"Ah, is that right?" Ahiru asked.

"And," he smiled, "You have my permission to return to the Elementary Class."

Ahiru's face lit up into an ecstatic smile," Thank you very much!"

"You did it!" Both her friends hugged her joyfully, "That's great!"

Soon Ahiru was on her way to the dorms, a happy smile on her face. As she turned a corner, she was surprised to see Fakir and Mytho walking her way. Not wanting to confront them, she managed to hide behind the bushes before either of them saw her.

"Stop running off without telling me," Fakir said, grumpy as usual.

"Sorry Fakir," Mytho said.

"Make sure you stay in the dorm room till I get back," he said sternly, "Even if Princess Tutu was there to help you last time you were kidnapped, I still don't trust her."

"Alright, I'll do as you say Fakir," Mytho said, "Return safely."

"Moron," Fakir turned to leave, "The moon is waning, I'll be fine."

_'The moon is waning? What did he mean by that?' _Ahiru wondered as Fakir disappeared down the path. Mytho waited a moment before turning to the boy's dormitory. A gush of wind blew over, rushing through the trees. When Ahiru looked up from shielding her head, she saw Mytho had turned completely around, and was now leaving the dormitory grounds.

"What do you want me to do?" Mytho asked.

Ahiru stared after him in confusion, _'Who is he talking to?'_

"Alright," Mytho nodded as if talking to someone and walked out of the gates.

_'Mytho-sempei?! What are you doing?!' _Ahiru jumped out of the bushes in concern.

"Mytho-sempei?" Ahiru called as she ran out the gates. She didn't see him to her left and whipped around to the right, "Mytho-"

She had to stop abruptly to keep from running into Rue, and it resulted in her falling forward into the ground. Rue watched her fall in composed surprise, "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry," Ahiru stood up slowly, then looked behind Rue to see no one but Fakir in the far distance, "Wha...he's not this way either..."

"It seems you were calling for Mytho, but..." Rue said.

"That's right." Ahiru looked back up at her, then turned to look back behind herself.

"Did you have some business with you?" Rue asked.

"Not really business..." Ahiru said in distraction, then turned back to Rue, "He just came out of here, but..."

"What? No one came out of here except for Fakir," Rue told her.

"Wha? But he had to have..." Ahiru said in alarm.

"You're lying," Rue said, "After all, I didn't see him."

"Then maybe he went that way..." Ahiru looked back to the left again.

"It was you wasn't it," Rue's eyes narrowed.

"What? Yes?" Ahiru looked back at Rue again.

"When I was dancing, you were the one who cried out loudly and disturbed me," Rue said.

"Ah. That was..." Ahiru tried to explain.

"Apparently you have no idea how much concentration is required to dance like that," Rue said.

"Ah. I'm really sorry about that," Ahiru rambled, "But more importantly, I'm sure that Mytho was acting weird just now...Or, rather, he was acting strangely...Same thing I guess. Anyway, I have to go look for him! So, later!"

Ahiru then ran off, much to Rue's displeasure, "Hold on! I'm not done talking to you! Wait up!"

Rue chased after Ahiru in irritation. They ran down the street for quite a while, Rue having some trouble keeping up and falling behind.

_'It's strange...It's definitely strange!' _Ahiru thought to herself, _'After he was talking to that person I couldn't see...He disappeared as if time had just flown..'_

"Which way could he have gone?" Ahiru paused to look around, then finally noticed Rue running to catch up with her, "Rue-chan!"

"You..." Rue gasped as she stopped in front of Ahiru, her hand to her heart as she tried to catch her breath, "Your name is Ahiru, right?...You're quite...good at running, aren't you?"

"That...is...right," Ahiru spoke like Rue.

"Don't mock me!" Rue ordered, "I'm just out of...breath...you know."

"I'm...sorry, ah," she slapped a hand over her mouth, hoping Rue hadn't heard the pause. Soon Rue caught her breath and the two of them began walking through town in search of Mytho.

"Umm..." Ahiru tried to get Rue's attention.

"What could it be?" Rue asked promptly.

"I was just thinking that since there are two of us, maybe we should split up to look for him..." Ahiru said.

"That's true. That's a good idea," Rue smiled a little, "It certainly is strange for me to be walking around fallowing you."

"Strange...that's true I guess..." Ahiru sighed before smiling brightly, "Then, I'll go look for him over this way."

Rue seemed to be thinking as Ahiru went on, "We should decide on a time and place to meet up again and..."

"We won't split up, after all," Rue declared.

"Huh?" Ahiru's arm continue to point in the direction she'd been planning to take as she looked at Rue, "Wh...W-why?"

"Because it's more reliable to search for him together," Rue held her chin high with authority, but looking away from Ahiru.

"Is that right..." Ahiru scratched her head in thought. Rue risked a glance at her, a small sweat drop appearing over her brow. They continued to search together in silence as the sky grew dark.

"Umm..." Ahiru said.

"What is it this time?" Rue asked.

"Have you and Mytho-sempei been together for a long time now, Rue-chan?" Ahiru asked curiously.

"What is it with this calling me "Rue-chan" when we're not even friends?" Rue wanted to know.

"Then what should I call you?" Ahiru asked.

"Rue-sama," she told her.

"Ruuuue..." Ahiru tried saying it, making a funny face, "...sama..."

"Why was there such a long pause there?!" Rue demanded.

"It's too weird after all," Ahiru said, "I'll just call you Rue-chan. It's cuter that way."

"Cuter?" Rue asked.

"Besides, we've been talking and walking together so much, we're already friends! So Rue-chan!" Ahiru smiled.

"Mytho-sempei sure isn't anywhere, is he, Rue-chan?" Ahiru looked around again, Rue just gave her an odd look. It was finally dark enough that the street lamps were all lit. A thick fog rose from the ground, making it difficult to see things from a distance. Water flowed down the canal to their left, and batwings fluttered through the nearby darkness. A less than three-quarter moon was nearly masked by dark clouds.

As the two girls passed by a small bridge, the sound of someone running caught their attention.

"Ahiru!" Adel's voice called from behind them.

"Adel-san!" Ahiru turned and ran to meet her. Rue fallowed after her with a frown.

"I'm glad to see you Ahiru," Adel smiled softly before looking at Rue, "Good evening Rue-san."

"How does she know my name?" Rue asked Ahiru.

"Adel-san knows a lot of things," Ahiru smiled knowingly, "It isn't very often that she doesn't know what's going on."

"That's suspicious," Rue frowned at Ahiru.

"Adel-san isn't suspicious," Ahiru told her.

"This whole situation is suspicious," Rue stated.

"Adel-san," Ahiru turned back to her guardian, "We were searching for Mytho just now. He vanished at the dorm gates earlier after acting strangely..."

"Another spell," Adel looked down.

Ahiru snapped to attention, "Spells?"

"This time a spell has attached itself to the spirit of a heartbroken girl named Giselle," Adel said.

"Hold on, this has nothing to do with anything!" Rue interrupted.

"When she could not be with the man she loved, she fell into despair," Adel continued.

"Are you listening?!" Rue demanded.

"Wait Rue-chan!" Ahiru clamped her hand over Rue's mouth. Giving up, Rue simply pushed her away as Ahiru turned her attention back to Adel, "So what happened to her?"

"She took her own life," Adel said, making the two girls gasp, "Believing that if her love could not be fulfilled in this life...she could be reborn and fulfill it then. But her fiancé did not appear beside her on the path to the world of the dead...and she does not want to go alone."

"A ghost that doesn't want to go to the world of the dead alone?" Ahiru asked in frightened thought, "And Mytho's strange disappearance earlier..."

"We need to find him quickly!" Rue said.

"Across the bridge," Adel pointed her arm in the direction she meant. The girls looked to see an opening in the wall that lead to a mansion, "Giselle's spirit is held in that mansion."

"Let's go Rue-chan!" Ahiru ran over the bridge, with Rue not far behind.

Adel watched them go before looking up at the moon, "The moon is waning..."

The mansion was a dark and spooky place, seemingly void of anyone but the two girls. Then Mytho appeared.

"Mytho-sempei!" Ahiru called as they spotted him, but he didn't seem to hear her. In fact, he looked like he was talking to someone, though they couldn't hear him from where the were.

"Mytho! Who are you talking to?" Rue called. Mytho didn't answer. The mist and fog around him rose higher and separated into small pillars around him. In seconds the small pillars shaped into the forms of ghostly ballerinas with long white skirts.

"What are those?" Rue gasped as she held a hand to her heart. The ghost maidens took a low dip and touched their palms to the ground. Then from the ground appeared another maiden, the veil on her head fluttering off as she looked up at Mytho with dead, dark eyes. She glowed faintly with the red light, just like Naomi and Agatha had only less noticeable.

"That's Giselle's ghost?" Ahiru asked aloud. Then she realized her pendant was glowing and she grasped it in her hand, her eyes returning to the ghost, _'The pendant is...'_

Giselle rose up en pointe and began her dance. She was a wonderful dancer. At the end of it, she held out a branch of rosemary, that had suddenly appeared in her hands, to Mytho.

"Mytho!" Rue exclaimed before taking off at a run, "You can't take that!"

"Rue-chan!" Ahiru called after her in concern after her.

"She'll take you with her to the world of death!" Rue pirouetted en pointe as she approached them, then held her hands out to Mytho, "Come this way!"

Mytho turned around and looked at her, but didn't move as Giselle began to dance again. Rue danced as well, mimicking every motion.

"Rue-chan!" Ahiru called again, worried about her friend. Two of the maiden specters went to hold Mytho as the dancers continued their battle. While she didn't show it in her dancing, Rue was quickly becoming exhausted. She was forcing herself to dance, and it soon became harder and harder to continue.

_'Dancing to the point of death...' _Rue thought to herself, _'I don't have enough strength! If only I'd practiced the basics more...'_

Finally, as she balanced precariously on her toe, her weight shifted to far forward and she fell to the ground.

"Rue-chan!" Ahiru ran to her friend as she struggled to get back up. Once again Giselle was offering the rosemary to Mytho, and his hand went out to receive it. The unearthly maidens laughed amongst themselves.

"You can't!" Rue ran to stop them. Three of the maidens intercepted her and sent her flying to the ground in a pained scream.

"Rue-chan!" Ahiru cried in concern, the red glow from her pendant quickly enveloped her whole body, though everyone was too occupied to notice. As the transformation into Princess Tutu completed, in a dash of white light, she leaped in the midst of the ghosts, "Mytho, you cannot accept that."

Rue gasped at the sight of her, her eyes wide as she watched the rumored Princess Tutu stand before the ghosts and Mytho. Everyone turned to look at her.

Giselle vanished and reappeared in front of the princess, "Why must you disturb us? Who are you?"

"I am Princess Tutu," she smiled, "I know the reason why you are in this painful state. Will you dance with me?"

She twirled her hands above her head and brought them down in front of her as she asked. Giselle hesitated for a moment, but placed her hand in Tutu's. The then began a new dance, both of them dancing beautifully.

"Amazing..." Rue watched in wonderment, "She can just keep dancing with her."

"Even if you take Mytho, your sadness will not disappear, will it?" Tutu asked the ghost gently, "Because that sadness is not really in you heart."

Giselle took Tutu's hand and kneeled down before her, tears marked the edge of Tutu's eyes, "I cannot understand how painful it must have been for you. But I understand that you have experienced enough sadness already, by far."

Tutu took a dip, one leg extended outward as she rapped her arms gently around Giselle, both of them were crying quietly, "So now you should sleep in peace. You don't have to be sad anymore."

The ghosts all faded away, Giselle vanishing last of all. The red light remained, now more prominent, and flooded into Tutu's pendant like both times before. The mansion suddenly seemed less creepy than before. When Tutu stood before Mytho, he was holding his hands to his heart, tears falling lightly from his long lashes and hitting the cobble stones at his feet.

"Princess Tutu..." Rue stared in wonder. Giving Mytho a small curtsie, Tutu quickly took her leave.

_To be continued..._

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Sorry the updates aren't coming very quickly for those of you who read this, you wouldn't believe how crazy life has been recently...well maybe you would, how would I know? In any case, till winter break comes around, things are going to be slow. I hope you like this chapter! (Though I'm sad Fakir only had a small part this time *fangirl tears*) Please Read and Review!


	5. Chapter 5: Yesterday

_Disclaimer_: If I owned Princess Tutu, I wouldn't have to buy the DVD set.

Thank you ahiru-chan73, Hyperpegasi (my sister), James Birdsong, lemoncherrylove, Light-Sakura, mangarawks, SinShu, tsubasamemories, Turtles95, and Winter Snow for supporting me so far!

This is an AU fan fiction. There are no heart shards, instead there are unlucky spells floating around that need to be broken. Drosselmeyer doesn't write stories, but he does carve "curses" into an old oak tree that always come true. None of the people are animals...or at least not originally...there is the girl who becomes a duck, and the boy who becomes...well, I'll let you wait and see. Rated T just to be safe.

New summary. Spells from long ago are creating havoc. A girl with a magic pendant discovers the ability to become the mysterious Princess Tutu. But why is it like this? Who exactly is the boy? What about his best friend/bodyguard, girlfriend, or the wolf?

3rd summary. If the universe was different from the original, what would happen? Where Ahiru doesn't know Mytho is a prince, the pendant has a will of it's own, and Fakir appears to be a wolf? How is Drosselmyer, a simple spell caster, involved?

Mostly cannon parings (I might throw in a couple extras!), and as close to character as possible. They might act a little differently, but that would be because the storyline is different, thus tweaking their personalities somewhat. I apologize for anything anyone might find worth getting upset over. I'm really hoping people like this!

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**Chapter 5: Yesterday**

Will the past always remain behind you? Will it race ahead to catch you again? Or maybe...

"Yes, that's right," Machol-sensei instructed the class. One by one, the girls pirouetted across the room, "Keep your backs straight."

"Hey, have you decided yet, Ahiru?" Pique asked, the three of them at the back of the line.

"Huh, decided what?" Ahiru asked in confusion. Both her friends gasped in surprise.

"Did you forget what today is?" Lillie asked from behind her hand.

"Ah, I might have..." Ahiru said, panic written over her face. Lillie's face lit up in adoration, "Yes?"

"The Fire Festival!" Pique told her.

"Fire Festival?" Ahiru asked in confusion.

"Yeah, you remember now?" Pique asked, "I'm asking if you decided what to wear then."

"Um, what is this "Fire Festival" thing?" Ahiru asked sheepishly.

Lillie's hands latched onto Ahiru's face, "Okay! Okay, Ahiru! You have so little common sense that you live in this town...and don't even know what the Fire Festival is! You're too cute!"

_'But it's not like I've lived here that long...' _Ahiru thought.

"Ahiru-san?" her teacher's voice asked.

_'And before that I was just a duck...' _she continued to think to herself.

"Ahiru-san?" his voice came louder.

_'I get it already!' _she began to get irritated.

"Ahiru-san!" he called, becoming impatient.

"Geeze, I know, so just tell me about this Fire Festiva-" she froze when she realized she was talking to Machol-sensei, not her friends. Pique and Lillie were already pirouetting across the room.

"Fine, I will tell you," he said, obviously irritated by her tone.

"Yes, sir..." she responded meekly.

"It is the town festival..." he informed her, "...where we dress in traditional clothing and dance around a bonfire."

"Is that so..." she said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck, "I really understand well no-"

"And most importantly..." he continued, "The couple with the most wonderful dance at the main event is given a golden apple."

"Golden apple?" Ahiru asked.

"That's right," he said, "It is said that the couple receiving the golden apple will be tied together for eternity!"

_'Tied together for eternity...' _Ahiru thought, _'But that has nothing to do with me...'_

"Ahiru-san?" Machol-sensei asked.

_'That's right, I'm really a duck,' _she thought.

"Ahiu-san?" he spoke louder again.

_'But that's fine, I know that already!' _she made a face.

"Ahiru-san!" he called.

"Geeze, I know already!" Ahiru shouted, only realizing after the fact what she'd done, "I'm sorry..."

Machol-sensei glared out the window in controlled anger, "As punishment for letting your mind wander in class...you will clean the room for the advanced class! If you don't do it properly...I will contact your guardians immediately!"

"Golden apple, huh?" Ahiru said to herself as she carried a mop and bucket to the advanced classroom. She pushed those thoughts aside as she opened the door, "It doesn't matter to me!"

Upon entering the room, she realized Mytho was inside it. He was looking out the window, dressed in a traditional, princely outfit. Seeing that he was about to turn around, Ahiru panicked as she quickly closed the door behind her, forgetting her mop until she realized it was falling. She immediately went to catch it, dropping the bucket in the process.

As she finally righted herself, she looked at Mytho as he turned around, _'Mytho...he's a prince. Is this really him?'_

"Ah, umm, that's..." she remembered what she was supposed to be doing and began to mop up the water she'd dumped on the floor, "Ah, I have to clean as punishment. Please don't mind me!"

"Have you seen Rue?" he asked as he walked up behind her.

"Rue-chan?" she looked up from her work.

"Rue said that we should practice dancing for the Fire Festival, so..." he looked down, "I've been waiting for her all this time..."

_'That's right, they'd definitely be going to the festival together,' _she thought to herself, _'That's right...'_

"When I'm alone..." he whispered, "...it's dark...and cold..."

"Mytho-sempei?" she asked in concern.

"Just Mytho is fine..." he looked up, "Ahiru, are you going to the Fire Festival as well?"

_'Ah, he remembered my name...' _Ahiru blinked in surprise. Mytho's hand reached out and grasped hers, pulling her away from the mop, "Wha-"

"Let's dance, Ahiru," Mytho said.

"Ah, Mytho!" Ahiru blushed, not sure what to do, "Me...go to the festival...ah!"

He twirled her around, continuing to leading her through a simple Pas De Duex, _'Mytho, after asking me to dance...his loneliness seemed to vanish...I feel happy, to be able to do that...'_

Mytho lifted her into the air, the final part of the dance. Ahiru's blush grew. Outside, Fakir saw them through the window, "Her again?" with quick strides he went to the building.

"I-I-I..." Ahiru curtsied in front of Mytho after he set her down, "I'll take my leave!"

She quickly ran out of the room, grabbing the bucket and mop on her way, _'Wow, that was so much fun!' _she leaned against the door, '_But...that was Rue-chan's place, so I shouldn't have been there...'_

Fakir came down the hall as she trudged away from the door. His eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected sight of her swaying walk.

"She certainly does look like a duck," he muttered.

"Quack! Cleaning..." she suddenly exclaimed, covering her mouth too late to stop the traitorous word.

"Hey!" Fakir called in surprise as she suddenly ran around a corner. He stood there for a moment, surprised by her odd action, before frowning and going on his on his way, "Hmph."

Around the corner, Ahiru the duck popped out of her clothing, "That voice just now...," she ran to look around the corner, watching as Fakir walked into the Advanced classroom, "It was him, as I thought."

She quickly ran over to the closed doors.

"What are you up to?" Fakir demanded, startling Ahiru. When she realized it wasn't directed at her, she nervously put her head back up to the door.

"Wearing those pointless cloths..." Fakir frowned.

"I'm waiting for Rue," Mytho said.

"And what were you doing with that duck like girl?" Fakir sounded angry. Ahiru's expression sowered at how he'd referred to her.

"Her name is Ahiru, so Fakir-" Mytho said.

"I don't care what her name is! What were you doing dancing with her?! Just because she asked doesn't mean you should!" Fakir nearly shouted.

"That's not it," Mytho said, "Rue was taking so long, and I wanted to dance so..."

"Are you saying you asked her yourself?" Fakir asked more quietly, most likely from surprise.

"Yeah," Mytho said.

Fakir's expression darkened and he pushed Mytho to the wall, his voice lowered, "Listen Mytho, I don't know what's going on here, but I don't want you going near that girl again! Do you understand?!"

Ahiru strained her ear to the door,_ 'I can't hear them!'_

"I was born to protect you," Fakir whispered in a harsh tone, "That I will do until there is not a breath left in me. Understood?"

"Yeah," Mytho said as Fakir finally backed off.

"Go back to the room and change out of those pointless cloths," Fakir ordered.

"But...Rue wanted to go to the Fire Festival," Mytho said softly.

"It doesn't matter what she wants, you aren't going."

"If I'm not going...I have to tell her," Mytho said.

"Are you disobeying me?" Fakir said almost under his breath.

"That's not it..." Mytho said.

"Come!" Fakir ordered. Ahiru realized they were coming out of the room and scrambled frantically to find a place to hide.

"Where are we going, Fakir?" Mytho asked as he was lead out of the building, "Hey...Fakir..."

"It doesn't matter! Just follow me!" Fakir ordered as he closed the door behind them. Ahiru was about to dash from her hiding place when she heard the sound of footsteps. In a beautiful ball gown fit for a princess, Rue walked past Ahiru to the Advanced classroom.

_'Rue-chan...'_ Ahiru watched her in awe before realizing the situation, _'And Fakir-sempei took Mytho with him too...Anyway, I have to turn back into a girl!'_

'_I need water...' _as she ran by her mop and bucket she stopped, _'Water!'_

Quickly grabbing the nearly empty bucket in her wings, she held it over her until the last drop of water landed on her. In a flash of red light she returned to her human form, "I did it!"

"Rue-chan!" Ahiru stepped into the room, having speedily redressed herself.

"Ahiru!" Rue said in pleasant surprise.

"Umm...you're supposed to meet Mytho, right?" Ahiru asked.

"How did you know that?" Rue demanded.

"Umm, umm..." Ahiru panicked, quickly taking the mop in her hand and scrubbing the wet part of the floor with it, "See, I was supposed to clean as punishment, so I was cleaning earlier, but...Then Mytho said that he was going to practice dancing with you, so you see...Ahh, this is all soaked...I was the one that did it earlier, though..."

"So, where's Mytho?" Rue asked.

"Um, it looks like he went out for a bit," Ahiru said.

Rue's expression lightened into a slight smile, "You didn't run after him like last time?"

"Well, no..."

"Athough, you disappeared all of a sudden that time, anyway..." Rue said like she was disappointed.

"Ahh, I'm so ashamed..." Ahiru sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"If you happen to see Mytho, let him know that I went out to the plaza," Rue said as she walked past Ahiru out of the room.

"Ah, yeah," Ahiru looked up from her work, "Rue-chan!"

Rue paused to look back as Ahiru spoke, "Mytho will definitely come meet you. After all, you're just like a real princess, Rue-chan...You two look really good together, so I'm sure you'll get the golden apple"

A soft blush dusted Rue's cheeks as she left. As soon as she was gone, Ahiru ran out the door and began searching.

"There you are Ahiru," Adel was on the path, "Did something happen?"

"I'm not sure," Ahiru looked around, "Have you seen Fakir-sempei and Mytho?"

"They went to the Library."

"Thank you!" Ahiru smiled gratefully before continuing onward, "Bye Adel-san!"

"Just Mytho now?" Adel asked herself, "I wonder if something changed..."

"I wonder where they went," Ahiru said as she walked into the Library. She went upstairs and looked around, ducking back behind a corner when she saw Fakir.

"You just sit in there quietly," Fakir said, about to close the door to the room Mytho was in.

"Why?" Mytho asked.

"As punishment."

"I'm sorry," Mytho appologised, "Don't get mad, Fakir. I'll do what you say. When you're not here, Fakir, I..."

Fakir ignored Mytho's pleas and locked the door.

"What are you doing?!" Ahiru demanded loudly before charging down the hall, shoving the unprepared Fakir away from the door. She tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

"You," in a flash Fakir was off the floor and had her pinned to the wall by her wrists, "What business is this of yours?!"

"Eh," her voice came at a stunned whisper before she finally recovered her anger, "What's your problem?!"

"It's my job to protect Mytho," his green eyes were frightening, "I don't know what you're up to, but if you don't keep your distance, you'll regret it."

"You-you're not making any sense!" Ahiru's fear rose in the form of tears, "Why are you being so unfair and cruel?!"

He let her go without a word as she tugged away. She ran back the way she'd come, angry tears continuing to slide down her face. When she'd left the building, she sat down against a tree, resting her forehead on her knees as she let the last of the tears fall.

"Ahiru," Adel walked up to her, "What's wrong?"

"Fakir-sempei is too much! He thinks he can tell everyone what to do!" Ahiru held herself tighter as Adel sat down beside her and wrapped an arm over her shoulders, "I don't understand it!"

"What did he say to you?"

"He said he's protecting Mytho and that I have to stay away," Ahiru glared at her knees, "Now Mytho's locked in an abandoned room while Rue-chan is waiting for him at the Fire Festival!"

"A flame brightens the darkness," Adel said in a calm tone, "But without the darkness, the radiance does nothing. Are you scared of the dark? You're in the darkness of confusion, are you not? But if you want to shine for someone else's sake...You cannot be fearful of the dark."

"Ah, that's right!" Ahiru looked up with wide eyes, "That means I shouldn't be afraid of what I don't know? Right?"

Adel smiled, then she looked away for a moment, "A wolf?"

The black furred creature ducked it's head back into the bushes and ran off.

"A wolf? You saw Fakir-chan?" Ahiru asked excitedly.

"You named him after Fakir?" Adel asked.

"Eh, erm...well, they have the same attitude..." Ahiru said a little nervously, "...and they both have green eyes, so..."

"Interesting," an odd smile graced her lips before she turned back to Ahiru, "Now, have you decided what you want to do?"

"I want to help Mytho," Ahiru said.

"Then if the door is locked," Adel stood, "Find a window of opportunity."

"A window?" Ahiru stood as well, "I think that would work! Thank you Adel-san!"

"You're welcome, Ahiru," Adel smiled, "Good luck."

"I'll do my best!" Ahiru ran to the library, "Bye Adel-san!"

"Good bye, Ahiru," Adel turned to leave, then said to herself, "The light grows brighter now, and soon the shadows will come out of hiding."

Climbing up a tree by the side of the building, Ahiru gave out a low whistle. Within moments a small flock of birds came to her.

"Can you help me find which window Mytho is in?" Ahiru asked.

They nodded and flew off. Soon they came back and began chirping, Ahiru smiled, "Thank you!"

She quickly went to the right window and managed to open it with some effort. Struggling to climb in, she accidentally went forward too fast and fell in with a loud thump.

"Oww," Ahiru tried to get up, "It's so dark in here-"

"Who are you?" candle lights came to life around her.

"Ah, I'm Ahiru," she answered uncertainly, her blue eyes wide in surprise.

"Why are you here?" a girl spirit appeared, her entire body glowed a light gold. She appeared to be made of nothing more than soft light.

"I'm looking for my friend."

"This boy?" the lights increased to show Mytho asleep atop an old wooden desk.

"Let Mytho go," Ahiru told her.

"No," the spirit shook her head, holding her hands to her chest as the fires around them grew brighter.

"He has someone waiting for him," Ahiru stepped closer.

"He wanted my light and warmth," she wrapped her arms around his sleeping shoulders, "And I will gladly grant his desire, forever."

"It's wrong to keep him here," Ahiru told her.

"Why?" she asked, "I have so much to give him here."

"But then people would miss him," Ahiru said.

"Why? No one ever missed me," her eyes grew sad, "They left me all alone, just like this poor boy."

"All alone..." Ahiru's eyes grew sad as well as she held her hands to her heart, "I think I can understand that feeling, but keeping him here won't make it go away."

"It won't?"

"No," Ahiru shook her head softly, "Forcing your love on someone won't stop the loneliness in your heart."

"But...what am I supposed to do?" the spirit flickered out of sight before reappearing in front of Ahiru.

"Would you like to come with me?" Ahiru asked.

"Go with you?"

"When I was alone, Drosselmyer-san and Adel-san took me into their care," Ahiru smiled softly, "And now I wish to do the same for you."

"Really?"

Ahiru nodded, wrapping her arms around her, "You don't have to be lonely anymore."

The spirit smiled tearfully as she returned the hug, "Thank you."

"What is your name?" Ahiru asked.

"Name?" she asked, tilting her head, "I've never had one. I was only ever referred to as a lamp."

"Hmm," Ahiru thought for a moment before smiling, "How about Orel?"

"Golden?" she smiled, "I like it. Thank you, Ahiru-chan."

She vanished into the form of an old but pretty oil lamp, "You're friend should wake soon."

Ahiru held the lamp to her, walking up to Mytho as he slowly opened his eyes and sat up, "Ahiru?"

"Rue-chan's waiting for you at the festival," Ahiru said quickly, "You should hurry."

After a moment he nodded his head. Ahiru quietly trailed after him as they left the Library. It was already dark when he reached the plaza, but Rue was still there, staring at the once lit bonfire, "I was stupid to have believed Ahiru in the first place."

As she turned to leave, her eyes met the sight of Mytho.

"Mytho!" she closed her eyes in remembering her disappointment, "The Fire Festival is long over now!"

"Sorry," Mytho wrapped his arms around her and began to dance.

"Mytho, what are you doing?" Rue asked in surprise, "Mytho!"

Ahiru watched silently from behind a corner as the couple danced.

"Cut that out," Rue laughed.

"Somehow they look like Romeo and Juliet together," Orel's voice spoke quietly.

"What do you mean?" Ahiru asked, but Orel gave no answer.

As Mytho spun Rue around for the final time, she looked up with a soft blush on her cheeks. She gasped when she saw his gentle, smiling face and quickly drew away from him.

"For Mytho to look at me with such gentle eyes..." Rue held a hand to he chest as she looked at him in bewilderment.

"Rue!" Mytho walked over to her, reaching his hands out to her. She shoved his hands away with a start, turned and fled down the street in fright.

Not far away, a pair of green eyes watched the exchange with intense interest. His black ears flattened against his head.

Ahiru watched in concern as Rue hurriedly ran past her hiding place, quietly gasping in surprise,"Rue-chan!"

"Ahiru-chan?" Orel asked, "Did you see why she became so frightened?"

"No..." Ahiru's brow furrowed, "There's something strange that I'm still missing..."

_To be continued..._

* * *

5th chapter! Yay! I'm sooooooo sorry it took this long to finish! I hope it was worth the wait :)

(Again, I say thanks to all those in the past who contributed to putting Winter Break on the calendar, which will begin very soon...thank goodness...)

Note: Orel is supposed to mean golden in German, I'm 99.9% sure :)


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